Spring loaded shoe tree for children&#39;s shoes



Sept. 15, 1959 H. M. ZESERSON ETAL 2 SPRING LOADED SHOE TREE F OR CHILDREN'S SHOES Filed Feb. 19, 1957 5 ML 3 a n .7 J wufl flm a H 0 1 M ,u fl H w r if N 2 WW I..- E z E 4 l 0 r /8 M 40 {M M M J rake...

United States Patent Ofilice 2,903,725 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 SPRING'TOADEDSHOE 'T-REE FOR vCI-IILDRE1\TS SHOES Hyman M. Zeserson,'Brookline, andEdwin J. McFarland, Marshfield, Mass.

*Application' -February 19, 1957, SerialNo. 641,188

2 Claims. (CL 12-1155) This invention relates to shoe 'trees'and more particularly comprises a new and improved shoe tree particularly adapted for use in childrens shoes.

provide a shoe tree which iseasily inserted within a shoe and requires a minimum of stress on the part of the user.

Yet'another important object of our invention is to provide a shoe tree which is easy to assemble and which cannot bind or catch on the inside of a shoe.

To accomplish these and other objects, our invention includes'among its many features a toe and a heel portion which conform to the shape of the inside of a heel and a toe of a shoe. The toe and the heel portions of the tree are sli'dably interconnected by a pair-of parallel and spaced apart arms which are connected to and extend rearwardly from the toe portion and which are disposed within asleeve connected to the. heel portion. A spring .having'a diameter not exceeding the thickness of the arms is disposed between the arms and has its rearward endse'cured to the rearward end of the arms. The forward end of the spring is secured to the forward end of the sleeve and acts in tension when the arms are moved to the rearward position withinthe sleeve. The spring may bev connected in any one of a number of positions to the forward portion of the sleeve and therefore permits-the shoe tree to be assembled for different sizes of shoes.

The heel portion may be integrally formed with the sleeveand the toe portion may beintegrally formed with the arms and each may be molded with plastic or other material.

Because the spring is confined between the arms and .does not extend above or below them, it can not bind againstthe top or bottom wall of the sleeve, and because it is always confined within'the sleeve when the toe portion and heel portion are assembled, it can "not rub against the inside of the shoe when the tree is placed within it. Because the sleeve is non-circular in cross section, it is impossible for the arms to twist within the sleeve and therefore the toe portion and heel portion are always maintined in proper alignment. Moreover, the sleeve continuously engages the sides and tops of the arms over considerable length regardless of the position of the toe portion and therefore provides a continuous sliding surface for the arms. Because a considerable portion of the arms always engages the wall of the sleeve, the toe portion can not bend or shift to the sides or above and below the heel portion.

These and other objects and features of our invention,

along with incident advantages, will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes'of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of a disassembled shoe tree constructed in accordance with our invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the shoe tree illustrated in Figurel showing the parts of the shoe tree in assembled relationship,

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the shoe tree taken along the corresponding section lines in Figure 2.

The shoe tree illustrated in'the drawing includes in its general organization a toe member '10 and a heel member 12. The toe member includes a forward or to'e portion 14 which conforms generally tothe shape of the toe of a shoe. Av pair of parallel and spaced apart arms 16 and 13 are connected to and extend rearwardly from the toe portion 14 and are connected together at their rearward ends by a cross member 20. The toe portion 14, the arms-16 and '18, and the cross member 20 may be formed as'a single unit and may be molded of some rigid plastic material. They may also be made of wood or any other suitable inexpensivematerial.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a coil spring 22 is'disposed between the arms 16 and 18 and has a hook 24 formed in its rearward end whichengages an opening 26 formed in the cross member 20. Although the hook 24 and the opening 26 are illustrated as connecting the spring 22 to the cross member 20, it is to be understood that any other suitable means may be employed for this purpose. However, thehook formed in the spring shouldnot'extend above or below the upper and lower surfaces of the arms 16 and 18 and the cross member 20 so as to avoid any rubbing of the hook against the upper and lower walls of the sleeve of the heel member which will be described in detail in the following paragraphs. It will be noted particularly in Figures 1 and 3 that a groove 28 has been cut into the upper surface of the cross member 2t from the opening 26 to the forward edge of that member and the end of the hook 24 lies in this groove. In this way the end of the hook does not extend above the surface of the cross member and arms. A similar groove (not shown) is formed on the underside of the cross member so that the other side of the hook does not extend below the "lower surfaceof the arms and cross member.

The heel member 12 includes a heel portion 30 shaped to fit into the heel of a shoe and a forwardly extending sleeve 32 which forms a slide for the arms 16 and 18 of the toe member. Formed within the sleeve 32 is an elongated passage 34 defined by sidewalls 36 and 38 and upper and lower walls 40 and42 respectively. The passage 34 extends from the forward end of the heel member 12 into the heel portion 30 and is of sulficient length so that it will receive the major portions of the arms 16 and 18. When these arms 16 and 18 are inserted to the rearward most position within the passage 34,'the shoe tree will fit'easily into the smallest-shoe size for which it is designed.

In Figures 2 and 3 it is seen that the width and height of the passage 34 is substantially the same as the width and the height of the arms 16 and 18 including the slot or cavity which is formed between them. Because just a minimum of clearance is provided between the sides, top and bottom of the arms 16 and 18 and the sides, top and bottom of the cavity or passage 34, it is impossible for the toe member 10 to twist or bend relative to the heel member 12. Therefore, perfect alignment is always maintained between these elements.

A number of openings 44, 46 and 48 are formed in and extend through the sleeve 32 and intersect the passage 34-. Each of the openings 44, 46 and 48 are adapted to receive a pin 50. This pin 50 extends through the loop 52 formed in the forward end of the spring 22. When the spring is secured between the pin 50 and the opening 26 in the cross member 20, it biases the toe member to a forward position so that the overall length of the tree is greatest. Thus when the tree is inserted into a shoe, the spring acts to pull the rearward end of the toe member 10 in a forward direction and forces the toe portion 14 snugly into the toe of the shoe. This of course causes the tree to hold a shoe in its proper form and prevents the toe of the shoe from curling upward.

Because a number of openings are formed for the pin 50, the shoe tree may be readily adjusted to fit shoes of different sizes. For example, when the loop 52 is secured by the pin 50 adjacent the opening 44, the tree is held in a position for use in the larger shoe sizes while when the pin 50 is shifted to the opening 48 and engages the loop 52 in this latter position, the smaller shoe size will be suitable for the shoe tree. Those familiar With childrens shoe sizes will appreciate that because the passage 34 extends substantially to the very end of the heel member 12, and because the sleeve 32 is of considerable length as are the arms 16 and 18, and further because several openings are provided for the pin 50, a shoe tree in accordance with our invention may be adjusted to fit as many as 10 shoe sizes. Thus, with the tree made in but two sizes, the full range of childrens sizes from 8 to 3 may be covered.

To assemble the shoe tree, it is only necessary to connect the rearward portion of the spring to the cross member 20 and then insert the arms 16 and 18 of the toe member 10 into the passage 34 formed in the sleeve 32. When the loop 52 of the spring passes under the preselected opening formed in the forward portion of the heel member, the pin 50 is inserted in that opening and through the loop 52. To insert the tree into a shoe, the user grasps the handle 54 formed above the heel portion and inserts the toe portion 10 into the shoe. The spring 22 is extended to allow the heel member 12 to move toward the toe portion 14 and finally the heel portion 30 is dropped into place in the heel of the shoe. The spring then takes over and presses the toe and heel portions 14 and 30 respectively against the toe and heel of a shoe.

The handle 54 which extends upwardly from the heel portion 12 makes it easy for a child to insert as well as withdraw the tree from a shoe without the risk of pinching fingers inside the shoe. The handle also peculiarly lends itself to ornamentation. For example, the handle readily may be formed in the shape of an animal or a cartoon character by the manufacturer. When the handle is treated in this way, the tree becomes somewhat of a toy for the child and he or she will look forward to using it. As a result, placing the trees in shoes will not constitute an unpleasant chore requiring constant prompting by the parent.

From the foregoing description those skilled in the art Will appreciate that numerous modifications may be made of our invention. Therefore We do not intend to limit the breadth of our invention to the specific embodiment described but rather it is our intention that the scope of the invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe tree comprising a toe member having a forward toe portion adapted to fit into the toe of a shoe, said toe member including a pair of parallel and spaced apart arms rigidly connected to and extending rearwardly from the forward toe portion, means interconnecting the arms at their rearward end, a coil spring disposed between the arms and having its rearward end secured to the means, said spring having a diameter not exceeding the height of the arms, a heel member having a rearward portion adapted to fit into the heel of a shoe, said heel member including a sleeve secured to and extending forwardly from the rearward portion, said sleeve having an opening therein whose cross section is substantially identical to the cross section of the arms and the area between the arms and slidably receiving the parallel arms of the toe member, and means for connecting the forward end of the spring to the forward end of the sleeve whereby when the tree is assembled the spring lies Wholly within the sleeve.

2. In a shoe tree having a heel portion and a toe portion adapted to fit into the heel and the toe of the shoe; means for interconnecting the heel and toe portions of the shoe tree in movable relation comprising a pair of spaced apart and parallel arms secured to and extending rearwardly from the toe portion and secured together at their rearward ends, each of said arms having a rectangular cross section, means secured to and extending forwardly from the heel portion and having a rectangular passage slidably receiving the parallel arms, said passage having a cross section substantially identical to the cross section of the arms and the space between them preventing relative twisting or disalignment between the heel and toe portion, a spring disposed between the arms and Within the passage having one end secured to the rearward end of the arms, a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings formed in the means and intersecting the passage, a pin adapted to extend through any of the openings and engage the forward end of the spring whereby the spring lies wholly within the sleeve, said openings permitting the effective length of the tree to be varied, and an upwardly extending handle formed on the heel portion at its rearward end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 87,590 Pool Mar. 9, 1869 711,025 Tyler Oct. 14, 1902 2,019,340 De Witt Oct. 29, 1935 2,340,202 Mutch Jan. 25, 1944 2,478,965 Feldworth Aug. 16, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 269,856 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1927 695,385 France Sept. 29, 1930 734,799 France Aug. 28, 1932 972,277 France Aug. 23, 1950 at. -WM 

